Think about your daily routine, you might stop at a coffee shop in the morning, perhaps you workout at the gym in the afternoon or go for dinner with friends in the evening. Every place that you visit, and every business you connect with during that day, exists because of an idea and an entrepreneur. Whether that entrepreneur comes from a family of business owners, or is starting out on their own with no previous experience, running their business requires a set of key skills. But what are the skills you need and how do you acquire them?

Fundation offers an 18-month line of credit in addition to 1 – 4-year installment loans. The time from application to funding generally takes between 2 and 7 days. All in all, Fundation is a smart choice for established businesses that don’t want to wait months to get a franchise loan approval. Read our Fundation review to find out why we rate this alternative franchise lender 5/5 stars.
“My credit is very strong and I owned my house outright. So when I realized the SBA loan would take too long, I decided to go to my personal bank and apply for a HELOC. The whole process took less than two weeks, the interest rates were great, and I never looked back. I was even allowed to use the HELOC for my franchise fee, which other financing wouldn’t allow.”
Business to business companies can usually access financing more easily than companies that deal with consumers directly. In this type of scenario, you can use your clients' invoices to obtain financing from lenders. The process of obtaining cash advances using your clients’ invoices is called factoring. The factor takes the role of collecting the full amount owed to you by your client, then deducts the amount advanced to you and any other fee then pays you the balance.
When you do a ROBS, you basically sponsor a retirement plan under your franchise, rollover funds from your personal retirement plan to the company retirement plan, and use those funds to buy shares of stock in your business. The sale of stock creates the capital needed to start or buy a new franchise or recapitalize an existing franchise. Read our in-depth guide on ROBS to learn more about how it works.
We love this lender for their sterling reputation, excellent customer support, and reasonable terms and rates. But again, you’ll need to already have an established franchise to qualify, as well as good credit. This loan also takes longer to apply for (and receive) compared to most other online franchise loans, and it can potentially take a couple months for the money to come through. You’ll need to submit all the documentation you’d need to get a traditional SBA loan, and it will be helpful if your franchise is already listed in the SBA Franchise Directory. Even though there are a few more hoops to jump through than with other alternative lenders, SmartBiz is still one of the quickest ways for a franchisee to get an SBA loan.

Balboa Capital works with franchisees in the quick service restaurant, fast casual dining, hospitality, and fitness industries. Helping you get the best financing solution is our primary goal, but we never forget the importance of excellent customer service. Your experienced Balboa Capital franchise financing manager will work closely with you and is committed to your success. Once we earn your business, you will see why we are fully accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

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If you are a person with no credit rating, you will need to establish one before you will be able to get a small business loan. Basically, you establish a credit rating by buying things on credit and paying back the money you owe. Your loan repayment history plays a big part in establishing your credit rating, but all your "credit" dealings make up the history that's used to determine your credit rating.
Dana has worked on domain name disputes, beginning with complex multiparty cybersquatting actions in 1999 prior to the adoption of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. Dana's trademark work has included the brands of many Las Vegas resorts, such as Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Wynn, Palms, Treasure Island, Station Casinos, Golden Nugget, and Stratosphere. Dana has also worked on hundreds of trademarks for noncasino clients, including Sunbelt Communications, Teligence Communications, University of Nevada–Las Vegas, HyLoft, iGolf.com, and many others.
The challenge is even greater for franchise owners looking to open new locations. They must pay a “franchise fee” amounting to tens of thousands of dollars, and the aforementioned deductions begin as soon as the new location opens its doors. Combine these expenses with inevitabilities like new equipment or furniture and you can see why business loans are popular for franchises. Multiple large expenses can easily pile up at the same time, making it extremely difficult to raise profits or save money.

Often times, a franchisee looking to open their first franchise will fit nicely into a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan product. SBA loans are made by banks or other participating lenders - not the government. SBA loans allow the lenders to extend credit to borrowers, who they may not be able to lend on a conventional basis, by taking advantage of a guarantee that the SBA provides to the lender in the event of default. There are a few different options, but the Flagship SBA 7a product gives the bank a 75% guarantee if your loan defaults - so that the money that the bank lends to you is not entirely at risk. SBA loans are typically priced at Wall Street Journal Prime + 1 to 2.75%, for terms of 7 to 25 years, depending on the use of funds.

Type of loan. Many types of business loans need to be secured by collateral, whether that’s by your mortgage, investment accounts, vehicle, life insurance or other assets. You may find that while you still need to secure them, SBA loans come with better interest rates and requirements that aren’t as strict as other financing options. The fact that they’re guaranteed for up to 90% of their amount by the government gives lenders the confidence they need to make offers to customers who may be more risky borrowers.

One of their loan programs is the SBA 8(a) business development program. According to their website, SBA’s 8(a) business development program is specifically dedicated to providing business assistance to entrepreneurs who are members of a socially and/or economically disadvantaged minority group who need help accessing mainstream economic capital. This program is divided into two sections and requires a nine-year commitment. The first four years are dedicated to development, and the remaining five years are a transition stage.
The loan officer takes your application, and in some cases, all of the applications she has received during a set time period, to a credit committee, and the committee determines whether or not a loan gets approved. This is why it’s so important to have the loan officer on your side–you need someone standing up for you in front of the credit committee when you can’t be present.

We are often asked by franchise owners, “What do I need to qualify for franchise financing with Balboa Capital?” Well, they couldn’t be more happier with the answer to that question. If your franchise has been operating for at least one year, and it generates $300,000 or more in annual revenue, the chances are pretty good that you will qualify. We will just need to review your credit to make a decision.

An important step in forming a new business is to determine the type of business structure that you will use. There are several business structures to choose from, including sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability company and limited liability partnership. Each has advantages and disadvantages as well as tax consequences of which you should be aware. You must decide which of these structures best suits your business objectives and needs. The Secretary of State cannot advise you on choosing a business structure. For help in making this decision, you may wish to consult a tax practitioner, accountant or attorney.
If you need financial assistance, a commercial loan through a bank is a good starting point, although these are often difficult to secure. If you are unable to take out a bank loan, you can apply for a small business loan through the Small Business Administration (SBA) or an alternative lender. [See related story: Best Alternative Small Business Loans]
A microloan is similar to a traditional bank loan, but they often come from alternative lenders like credit unions. A microloan tends to be easier to get for those with subpar credit because the loan amounts, as the name indicates, are small, typically fifty thousand dollars or less. Because of this, the credit requirements for these loans are also lower. If this amount of funding suits your needs, this is a good option. The SBA has a microloan program, and there are several alternative lending options such as Prosper and Zopa.